Tuchel reiterated the importance of social skills among players, acknowledging that the World Cup will be a challenging period for them all (World Cup squads are usually selected based on form and footballing ability alone. Managers often prefer players who can change games while relying on talent to solve problems on the pitch.

However, England head coach Thomas Tuchel believes what happens off the pitch could be equally important at the 2026 World Cup, He says that players who have social skills and can communicate effectively with others may have an edge in the team compared to those who have the best skills on the pitch, “When I talk to players who have participated in the World Cup, it always made a difference when the connection was right, when the communication was right”.